A 35-year-old man died yesterday after the end load from the tractor truck he was driving crushed the cab. At about 3 p.m. yesterday, police officers from the Dededo precinct responded to an accident in the Mataguac Luchan area of Yigo.
“Upon arrival, they discovered a tractor trailer truck overturned to its left side, the driver’s side,” said Guam Police Department spokesman Sgt. Joseph Carbullido. “The driver was in the cab and was crushed in with the end load.”
Carbullido said the man appeared to have tried to maneuver the truck to unload the rubble, and was trying to reposition the truck. However,the weight of the load shifted, which caused the end load to crush the cab and overturn the vehicle, Carbullido said.
The man, whose identity could not be released pending notification of next of kin, was an employee of Primos Heavy Equipment Co. The truck was a blue 1987 Kenworth W900 tractor truck.
Residents nearby gathered to witness the scene. Some residents were seen on rooftops and balconies trying to get a better look.
Crews from the Department of Public Works used a crane to lift the load off the cab, while the firefighters from the Guam Fire Department used the Jaws of Life to extract the man, Carbullido said. Highway Patrol officers also were investigating the scene.
The case, classified as an industrial accident, has been forwarded to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, Carbullido said. No further information was available as of press time.
